Dietary supplements for mood improvement and stress relief Producers’ and merchants’ declarations vs state of knowledge

The market for dietary supplements intended to improve mood or reduce negative effects of stress is of considerable size (estimated at $656 mln globally in 2022). In the UE 10% of people who consume dietary supplements, do it to reduce depression, stress or anxiety. The statistics are higher for women and people aged 18-44. In Poland specifically, out of 89% of adults who used dietary supplements or OTC medications in the previous year 13% chose products that affect mental health in some way. Popularity of such preparations may reflect higher prevalence of psychological distress, low availability of professional mental healthcare (i.e. psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists) as well as social stigma of receiving professional treatment for mental disorders. The aim of this review was to present the current state of knowledge about the most popular herbal ingredients included in preparations advertised as mood enhancers or stress relievers. An internet search was performed to identify 10 most popular herbal ingredients found in this kind of products and collect producers’/merchants’ declarations as to the expected results. For each ingredient research was performed using PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library and Up to Date to present evidence-based-knowledge relating to mood and stress. The main conclusion is that herbs are widely used in preparations addressing psychological distress and herbal ingredients used in the mental health sector need to be thoroughly researched, both in terms of psychopharmacology and public health to identify potentially hazardous patterns of consumption and introduce proper education, if needed.